Expectations
by BELOVEDbyWAR
Summary: Sometimes life just sucks and family & friends can be a pain in the ass! *Prequel to "Who Wants To Live Forever", which you can find under crossover - Highlander*
1. Chapter 1

**Title: ****Expectations  
Author: BELOVEDbyWAR  
Rating: PG, Gen  
TV verse: Blood Ties  
Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money..  
****Wc: 798**

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Expectations:

**ex - pec - ta - tion  
1 [uncountable and countable] what you think or hope will happen  
2 [countable usually plural] a feeling or belief about the way something should be or how someone should behave**

*Longman - Dictionary of Contemporary English

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"There! Another case closed! What would I do without the internet?" Vicki leaned back in her chair, contently smiling at her partner in crime.

"Yes, the wonders of the modern world…"

"Careful, Henry, you almost sound your age," she answered teasingly and earned a warm grin in reply. But before the vampire could utter the expected witty comeback, the door to Vicki's office was thrown open and a well-known figure stormed inside.

Without looking to see if the door swung closed – which indeed it did – the cop marched over before them and stated theatrically:

"That's it! I can't take it anymore!"

He loosened his tie and opened the first few buttons of his shirt, exposing an enticing, strong throat to their view, before he stripped off his trench coat and wandered over to the couch to sink onto it, the picture of despair.

"Somebody please kill me and put me out of my misery!" he begged as he looked pleadingly at Vicki.

The PI on the other hand only rolled her eyes. In answer to the inquiring look of her undead partner, she only grinned and calmly questioned:

"Your aunt's in town?"

A murmur that sounded a lot like _worse_ was the only perceivable answer.

"Sorry, but I didn't get that." She winked at Henry, who followed her to the sitting area, quite curious as to what in the world could render his favorite adversary to Vicki's affections into such a state.

Removing his hands from his now ruffled hair, Mike repeated, suffering:

"My grandmother!"

Quickly looking down and hiding her expression from her ex, Vicki tried her best not to laugh by biting her lip. After a quick count to ten, she was back in control before stating:

"Let me guess. You were paraded in front of several potential future mothers of your children?"

"And _kindly_ reminded that I'm my father's only son-"

"-and therefore obligated to produce an heir." Henry looked at him sympathetically while Vicki only snorted in disgust, muttering something about medieval worldviews, while Mike looked astounded at the man now sitting at his side.

He smiled sardonically at the vampire and said:

"I guess it really is time for me to die if you can finally relate to me. Well, what say you vampire, dinner on my tab?"

To both Vicki and Henry's surprise, Mike actually seemed quite earnest. With only a hint of morose humor, he actually turned his head and bared his throat to the vampire's unbelieving eyes, eyes that turned black for a second before Henry could reign in his instincts.

"Mike!" Vicki chastised, "You don't propose feeding a vampire without planning to go through with it and certainly not over an attack of self-pity! And what is the matter with you tonight? My mother constantly nags me about finding a husband, but you don't see me moping around, do you? Gosh, you are being such a drama queen tonight!" Finishing her speech, she stalked over to her secret whiskey stash, not wanting them to see how much Mike's behavior had thrown her.

At the same time, Henry and Mike locked eyes and carried on a silent communication.

Sensing Vicki turn around, Henry quickly averted his gaze to focus instead on the bottle of amber liquid held right in front of Celluci's face.

Thankful, the detective took a deep swallow before returning it to Vicki and then sighing:

"Yea, I guess that was a bit much."

Hoisting himself up, he stood, threw his coat over his arm, and prepared to leave.

"Mike?"

"Sorry for ruining your evening with my pity party. It has been a long day. I better catch some shut-eye. Bye." This said, he left as he had come, only at a far more regular pace.

Vicki appeared dumbfounded at his sudden retreat.

"Henry? What just happened?"

The vampire looked at her sadly. He had seen the resignation in the other man's eyes and again felt great empathy with the blond. Vicki, of course, did not realize that Mike's family's expectations weren't the only things nagging at Celluci. It was the knowledge that he would never be able to do as asked – and also what he secretly longed for- as the only children he would ever want to have were Vicki's and that, it seemed, would now never happen.

"Sometimes living up to others' expectations prove to be impossible. It is even more painful when one's own dreams are quite similar but impossible to fulfill."

Feeling his age at the moment, he patted Vicki's shoulder.

"I better get going. After all, you declined my diner invitation for me, so now I have to find another source."

Before she had time to offer, Henry had already vanished, leaving Vicki with the distinct feeling that she had missed something important.

***

tbc


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Expectations  
Author: BELOVEDbyWAR  
Rating: PG, Gen  
TV verse: Blood Ties  
Disclaimer: Not mine, not making any money.  
AN.: Thanks to my wonderful beta luvinmike!**

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Part 2:

Operating on autopilot, Mike made his way home, parked the car, and turned off the motor. But instead of climbing out of it and going inside, he just sat there, staring into nothingness.

Why had he gone to Vicki's tonight? What had he hoped to gain?

Nothing, he realized. He hadn't thought at all. He had simply followed his initial impulse, which had been to go tell Vicki. After all, who else did he have to go to? Apart from his family, there was nobody! Dave was a nice enough guy but they simply weren't that close. And Kate – well, Kate could have misunderstood his intentions and he certainly didn't want her to misread any affection for her in his actions or words. She deserved better than that. No, there was nobody else. Just Vicki…

Mike shook his head and laughed at his own impulsiveness. He didn't the right anymore to dump his burdens on her shoulders. She had enough of her own problems and he wouldn't want to additionally burden her with his.

Now that he thought about it, he didn't even know why he'd reacted so strongly to his family's pushy and nosy hints. After all, they only wanted what they thought was best for him and what they thought would finally make him happy

Well, as he had said, it had been a long day. That was his only excuse.

Sighing, he got out of the car.

It actually was a nice evening for a change. No rain, not too cold, and hardly any clouds to be seen. It had been a long time since he had taken the time to just look up into the night sky.

He rounded the corner of the house and sat on the steps leading to the privacy of the back garden from his back door and simply let himself enjoy the beauty of the bright, sparkling stars.

Watching them, everything else seemed small and unimportant in comparison, but even then he still couldn't throw off this feeling of loneliness…

***

Henry was watching him.

When the detective had left Vicki's office, Henry had felt a sudden, undeniable urge to follow the man, and had arrived outside just in time to watch the blond's car drive away.

Guessing Celluci would go home, he had driven close to where he knew the detective lived, parked his car, and walked the rest of the way there on foot, only to be greeted by a dark house.

At first he had feared he might have miscalculated, but the soft sigh and steady heartbeat from behind the house proved him to be right after all.

Carefully he had made his way around the actually quite-nice home.

There Henry had found him, looking small - if you can believe that of someone as tall as Celluci - and lost.

The vampire didn't know why, but he was feeling a strange sort of kinship to the headstrong Italian.

Maybe it was their mutual affection for Vicki or maybe he simply could empathize how it was to feel obligated to one's family. But secretly he suspected it to be the yearning for things he could not have but wished for anyway despite the certain knowledge of it being unattainable.

Yes, Celluci was just as much a lost cause as he himself, and somehow Henry wished he could spare this irritating but honorable man the pain of this life lesson.

A humorless chuckle disturbed his musings.

"You may as well come out of the shadows. I know you're there, Fitzroy!"

Slightly irritated at being caught, the vampire did just that. Sitting next to the cop without waiting for an invitation, he also looked up at the sky.

"How did you know I was there?" he asked, honestly curious.

"Don't take it personally, but you make the hair on my neck stand up."

This coaxed a small smile from the vampire.

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Well, isn't that interesting! I guess there still is hope for you yet."

"Ha, ha. So why exactly are you here, oh Lord of night and shadows?"

Mischievous grey eyes met questioning blue ones.

"Careful now, Detective. I almost feel as if you are warming up to me."

"Never happen!"

Both tried to stifle their grins at the now customary banter exchange before quickly looking away again.

Celluci cleared his throat.

"No, really. Why aren't you with Vicki helping her chase down the monster of the week?"

"She just closed her last case in which she worked the last three days without a break. I felt she needed a good night's sleep more than my company," he lied.

"Riiggghhht!"

"Really."

"Sure."

"Truthfully."

"OK!"

"Good."

Silence.

"And you are not here because of…"

"What?"

"You know. Because of earlier, when I…" Mike unconsciously rubbed a hand over the side of his neck, which drew the vampire's eyes immediately to that spot.

"Oh!" Henry unconsciously licked his lips. He had not really thought about it anymore, but now, sitting so close to Celluci and smelling his delicious scent, hearing the blood rush through the man's veins…

"Fitzroy!"

Realizing he had moved closer and closer, his fangs elongating and his eyes focusing on the pulse beating now visibly faster in the blond's neck, Henry quickly stopped himself and pulled away.

"Sorry. You were saying?"

Celluci stayed silent. Now it was the human who was staring. Well, at least, until Henry made a conscious effort to retract his canines.

"Detective."

"Hm?"

Again Henry had to hide his amusement. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt like this. This carefree… and it was even more surprising that it was his supposed adversary who had coaxed these feelings out of him.

The blond's confused face was just priceless!

"You are staring."

Unfortunately, this had the same effect as a bucket of ice water. Not one blink later, Celluci was back to his old sarcastic self.

"As if! Just keeping my focus on the instruments of my possible demise," the cop declared with a huff before he quickly stood.

With this, the relaxed atmosphere suddenly disappeared.

"So, was there anything important you wanted or did you simply need another victim to bother?"

This fired a heated response in the vampire and before Mike could so much as move, the smaller man already stood in front of him, whispering dangerously.

"Oh, but I don't need to. After all, they seem to OFFER themselves to me."

Henry quickly licked Mike's neck, right where the scar of his previous bite was located, thereby making his point. Mike froze in place. All he could do was shudder.

"But don't worry, Constable. I only accept honest proposals. I once did you wrong. It won't happen again. The next time I drink from you, you will beg for it!"

Mike suddenly found himself standing alone on the steps. Heart racing and chest heaving, he found he was having the most painful arousal he had had since leaving his teenage years.

Baring his teeth, the cop forced himself to calm down before turning and going inside, muttering:

"You wish, Bloodsucker! When hell freezes over!"

The door closed with a bang.

Not far away a shadow moved and growled in answer:

"We will see, Michael. We will see," before fading away.

That night, neither male remembered their earlier melancholy as they were too busy cursing each other's existence.

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End file.
